Pokemon Jouneys: The Sinnoh Chronicles
by ffgtakhfan
Summary: Following a disagreement with his only friend, Lucas sets out to become the best trainer there is, along wih his love interest, Dawn. Along the way, they face and face a group of people who have their sights firmly set on the stary skies...
1. Chapter 1

"...In the end, we all have to realise that, despite how much we may or may not like Pokemon, they will always be with us until the end," the man concluded to the presenter. He turned towards the camera, smiling to all of the millions of people who were undoubtedly watching at home.

"Thank you, Professor Rowan, for taking time out of your undoubtedly busy schedule to speak with us today in an exclusive interview with us at Jubilife City. We all hope that your future projects are successful, and that you enjoy being back in Sinnoh again." Rowan nodded in polite agreement as he and the presenter shook hands. "Join us next time where we'll be interviewing former Champion Lance Wataru. Until next week, good bye, and enjoy your evening," he waved as the camera pulled out and the credits began.

One teenager, however, was not enjoying his evening. He had been looking forward to watching _'Hunt for the Red Gyarados'_ all day, especially after talking about it with his friend, Jun. But no, the show had to be postponed so that the bullcrap network could a live interview with Professor Rowan, where he could talk about stuff that everybody already knew about to people who would bother to listen – evolution was a dangerous process to Pokemon, as the events at the Lake of Rage proved, we should love, trust and respect them, etc, etc. He was sick of people telling him that, especially since he had the concept of it in primary school.

"_Primary school, for Christ's sake,"_ the teenager angrily thought to himself. If it hadn't been rammed home then, it certainly was now. Just then, another teenager ran into his room, completely uninvited. He was Jun, Lucas' gay friend. He was wearing an orange and white stripped long sleeved jacket, a green scarf and tight fitting grey trousers. His blond hair was wild and untamed compared to Lucas'. Although Barry was Lucas' best friend, he had tried to hit on the latter a couple of times, although he simply shrugged it off. He had eyes for one person, and one person only – Dawn. Despite this, he had not actually seen her in person, having only seen pictures of her on her Facebook page. He had reached it via one of his other friends, where apparently, the two of them had gone to the same school together.

There was one annoying aspect about Jun, however. He could never sit still for more than a second, and always had to be doing or saying something. He also managed to get himself easily distracted by something else when he was in the middle of something. Apparently, he had been secretly diagnosed with ADHD, and Lucas secretly wondered how him and Jun had managed to remain friends all of this time with a person with such a condition. He always felt totally worn out and exhausted after only five minutes when Jun was around, with the added bonus of a major headache if he was lucky enough.

As soon as he had entered Lucas' room, Jun began to quickly speak as he paced about the room.

"There you are. I've been looking all over the place for you. Did you watch that TV show that was on just now? It was sooooo totally awesome, wasn't it? Rowan is just the most awesomest person ever, right? And he must have loads of Pokemon at his lab; otherwise, he wouldn't be a Pokemon Professor, would he? Do you think that if we ask him nicely, that we'll get a Pokemon of our own? Nah, we probably wouldn't, even if I am the son of the great Tower Tycoon Palmer." By this point, he had got up close and personal with Lucas, putting his arm tightly around his waist, forcing Lucas to walk around the room with him. Luckily, Jun got distracted by the new laptop that Lucas' mum had got him the other day, to help him with his studies. He let go of Lucas immediately, and went over to study it.

"OMG, this laptop is totally awesome! It's the new Acer Aspire 9420 WSMi. How did you manage to afford something like that?" As Lucas was about to answer, Jun cut him off. "Anyways, that's not important. Ummm, what was I saying before?" he asked. Lucas didn't even bother to try and answer him this time. Soon enough, Jun was off on another speech. "Ohhh, yeah, now I remember. What is important is that we're going to go and get our first Pokemon from Professor Rowan tomorrow and start bonding with them until we get our own licenses. Okay, now that's sorted, I'll see you tomorrow outside my house at 8:00 am, just like we agreed before. Okay, see you there then. If not, I'm fining you £10 million," he finished as he rushed out of the door. In the process, he nearly knocked over Lucas' mum as she was walking up the stairs with a tray containing two mugs of tea, and a plateful of biscuits. Apologizing profusely, he continued running downstairs and out the door before either mother or son could say anything.

She entered Lucas's room, and placed the tray on a free part of Lucas' desk that wasn't covered by the laptop or numerous papers from his various college assignments. She picked up a mug of tea and handed it to him. He shuffled up so that he could make room for his mum, accepted it gratefully, took a sip of the hot liquid, and put it down on the mat that was on his bedside table. She sat down on the edge of his bed, and faced him, smiling a little.

"So how was your day today?" she asked him. She was the CEO of the largest corporation that dealt with accessories and fashion clothes for Pokemon Contests that not only took place in Sinnoh, but also Hoenn and Kanto as well. She had founded it when in her former Contest days; there was nowhere to buy anything, so everything had to be handmade. She thought that that was unfair on the poorer people who couldn't afford to do that for their Pokemon as well as themselves, so she set the company up as a means to ratify that. Within a few years, the company had expanded too far beyond what even Lucas' mum had foreseen. Fortunately, she had good business sense, and had managed to make the company a large profit every year, enough to make her and her only son self-sufficient.

Despite that, the business demanded a lot of her time and energy, as she helped design the fashions for a particular season's contests. So Lucas was often left home alone, left to cook dinner if she didn't get them a takeaway, as well as help out elsewhere around the house from time to time when needed. Although they had a maid who came every day, the house was big enough that she couldn't get it cleaned all of the time. Thus, they didn't get much of a chance to talk to each other, except for in the evenings before they went to bed.

"Alright," he answered. "I just did the usual – got up, had breakfast, cleaned teeth, got dressed, went to college, got picked on by everybody except for Jun who simply embarrassed me, received homework, got home, got homework over and done with, did a bit of coursework, stopped for the night and watched a bit of TV."

Her expression turned from one gently smiling to one of worry. Although she was proud of her son of doing exactly what he wanted to do (a degree in history and politics so that he could go to Twinleaf University and become a Comparative Mythologist), she also worried that had no friends apart from Jun, and the "friends" that he did have were on that totally pointless Facebook website. He had pointed out to her a girl that he would like to meet from there, but she was in the next town over. He did have his own pet, a Bidoof that she had brought from a pet store, it wasn't registered to battle, and regardless, it wasn't battle experienced at all, having been hatched and raised in captivity. And anyway, if he wanted to achieve his ambition, college was much more important than chasing young women.

"I'm worried about you, Lucas'," she said, getting a rolling of the eyes in response. He had heard this for what felt like a million times. "I wish you would do something other than watching TV all of the time, or going on your laptop. Why don't you join a club or something? The sailing club is always looking for new members. And you would be able to explore Lake Verity without fear of being attacked. You might even be able to see Mespirit," she encouraged. But on this issue, he took no notice of her, despite his interest in the Legendary Pokemon.

"Mum, even you know that's not possible. The legends say that it, and the other two spirits, will only appear to people who are pure and good. And even I consider myself that pure and good," he finished, causing both himself and his mother a small chuckle. They drank some more of their tea before it got cold. Lucas' mother changed the subject.

"I heard Jun talking about getting a Pokemon of your own from Professor Rowan, am I right?" she asked. He nodded in confirmation.

"I didn't agree to that, though. He just formed the idea on the spot, and dragged me right into it. Just like he always does," he added bitterly. His mother put her mug of tea down so that she could go over to her baby boy and hug him, just like she had when he was little. He accepted the offer, putting down his own mug in the process. It pained her to see him like this, all depressed and such like. It didn't suite him at all – it was like he was a completely different person.

"Why does my life have to be such a pain in the fucking ass?" he moaned. Although she normally didn't like him using language like that, she let it slide whenever he was upset like this. "My only friend is a complete and utter jerk who never considers me into anything, even when they affect me the most. The only girl that I even remotely like is living in the next city over. The workload from college is building up slowly, like they don't even expect us to notice it." Lucas' mum stroked his dark blue hair in an attempt to calm him down whilst he cried. It seemed to work, as he stopped shortly afterwards. "I'm not sure that I can take it anymore," he concluded. His mum looked straight into his deep brown eyes.

"Honey, if you want to quit college and do something else, then you know I'll fully support you all of the way." He nodded slowly in understanding, pulling back from the hug. Although his mum had proposed the idea before, he had never taken it seriously. However, the prospect of quitting and becoming a Pokemon Trainer was becoming more and more favorable and alluring every day. As a Trainer, he would be able to pick a starter Pokemon from Professor Rowan to begin his journey. From there, he would have no restrictions about what other Pokemon he caught, or to where he travelled. He might even be able to see and study many of the places and Pokemon that he had been studying at college, rather than just reading about them in books. He nodded his head quicker and more firmly.

"Okay, I've decided. I will register to become a Pokemon Trainer and get my starter tomorrow," he asserted. "Besides, it can't be any worse than having to go to college each and every day. As a Trainer, I would be able to go wherever I wanted, whenever I wanted, at a pace that suites me." His mother's face had a brief look of surprise on it, but quickly turned happy, almost as if she had been expecting the choice.

"Well, if that's what you want to do, then go for it, Lucas. I'll help you in any way possible," she confirmed. Lucas smiled at her.

"Thanks, mum," he answered back as he hugged her again. After a little while, they let go of each other. Drinking the rest of their tea, the biscuits long forgotten, they put the empty mugs on to the tray, which Lucas' mum picked up and took with her. She stopped in the doorway, and turned to face him.

"I think tonight, you ought to go to sleep early. It looks like you've got a long day ahead of you," she said. He said nothing as he stood up and began to take his clothes off. She left the room and shut the door behind her to give him some privacy and to go to bed herself.

Once she left, he quietly whopped and cheered. He was going to leave behind all of the bullies and people who taunted him daily. He was going to leave all the tedious coursework and boring teachers behind in the dust.

Then came the negative aspects of the decision. He would be leaving his only relative behind on her own. Sure, she had numerous friends that she regularly chatted to, as well as Thumper, the Bidoof she had gotten him. But the evenings would be quiet and unsettling. Sure, he could call her using his mobile phone, but that was hardly the same as being able to talk face to face, as they had done ever since his dad had died.

That was another negative. According to his mum, his father had been one of the most experienced battlers she had ever known. Yet, he had mysteriously disappeared one day with warning and explanation. Although there had been a massive manhunt to track down the body, it had never been discovered. He was worried that he would meet a similar fate.

And finally, there was Jun. He was Lucas' only friend, despite his major annoyances. Or was he only saying that out of habit? To be honest, he wasn't completely sure any more. Regardless, he was going to make sure that he wasn't dragged around or gotten into anymore of his stupid plans.

Lucas' head was full that night with those conflicting thoughts. In the end, he didn't manage to get much sleep.

SC

He woke up the next morning, his head absolutely pounding. The few times that he had managed to get to sleep, he had nightmares of everyone telling him that he was a failure at whatever he did, and that he would never amount to anything, not even compared to Jun.

Walking downstairs for some breakfast, he saw that his mum was already up, watching the local news on the plasma TV. Her hair was in a hairnet, and she was wearing a pink dressing gown. Thumper was sitting in front of her, watching the moving images on the screen. Lucas knew that he had no idea what was going on half the time, so he wasn't sure why the Pokemon was still so fascinated by the TV, even after three years of being with the family.

As Lucas walked into the kitchen, she saw that he had dark circles under his eyes. She got up and followed him, where he was putting some bread into the toaster.

"You look terrible," she commented. "Mind telling me why you look so bad on your first day as a Pokemon Trainer?" she added.

"I simply didn't get much sleep, that's all. Too much excitement, too many doubts, and more than a few nightmares," he finished. His mother looked at him, not quite sure of what to say. "Don't give me that look," he asserted. "Once I properly start, I'm sure I'll be too caught up in the moment to worry about stuff like that," he concluded.

"Well, I sure hope so, honey. It would pain me to see you like that for the whole of your journey, however long that might be."

"I know, I know. Maybe I ought to catch myself a Drowzee and have it hypnotize me every night," he said eagerly. His mother looked at him disapprovingly. Lucas put his hands up to his face and waved them about. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding," he said. At that moment, the toast popped up, indicating that it was ready. As Lucas was buttering it, the doorbell was frantically run. They both knew who that was.

"I'm not leaving until I've finished my breakfast, had a shower and gotten dressed," he asserted firmly as he finished buttering and got some orange juice from the fridge. His mother said nothing as she got up and opened the door. Big mistake. Jun came rushing though the living room and straight into the kitchen. It was creepy how Jun knew exactly where Lucas always was, even if he hadn't told anybody.

"Lucas, how are you? Are you ready to go to Lake Verity to capture the Legendary Pokemon that lives there? Of course you are, you always are," Jun said as he snatched the piece of toast out of Lucas' hand and expertly threw it into the bin. Lucas' mother tried to intervene in the situation, but Jun didn't give her a chance to. Just as quickly as he entered, he had left, holding and dragging Lucas by the hand. The latter didn't even have a chance to pick up any shoes, so his feet rapidly became sore and painful as he was quick marched towards the edge of town. People naturally stared at them, as Lucas was still in his bright blue pajamas, being dragged along by a deranged person who apparently had no concerns about welfare. No one tried to stop the pair, however. Jun was so headstrong that it was pointless to even attempt to stop him – everybody had tried and failed at some point or other.

Due to the size of Twinleaf Town, they had managed to reach the outskirts within half an hour. Once they reached the sign proudly displaying the town's name and slogan (_"Where New Leaves Breathe!"_), they stopped to take a break. Even Jun needed to stop to recharge his energy cells. Panting, deeply out of breath, Lucas still managed to give Jun an evil look.

"I...fucking...hate you...Jun" he said between heavy pants. Jun looked at him, confusion obvious on his face.

"Huh, I don't understand?" he said. Lucas gave out a yell in frustration.

"Ever since I met you all those years ago, you have constantly ruined my life," Lucas began as he held up a hand. "You get me involved in your pathetic schemes that never ever work, and leave me in trouble whilst you somehow get away scot-free." He held up one finger. "You never shut up for anyone," he continued as he held up a second finger. "You have no consideration for anybody but yourself – not even your own mum," he said as a third finger went up. "And finally, you would make a fucking awful friend, let alone best friend, no matter what you constantly say," Lucas finished as he created a fist and slammed it straight into Jun's face. He heard a cracking sound and saw blood quickly running down the other boy's face. Although his whole hand now hurt, it had felt exhilarating to have gotten that out of his system.

For a moment, Jun was too stunned to do anything back, but then formed his own fist. He attempted to punch Lucas back, but Lucas had already moved out of the way of the slow action. He retaliated by shoving Jun into the ground, and stamping him on the stomach. Jun groaned in pain, and then coughed up some blood. It was seeing this that caused Lucas to calm down, and considered what he had just done. He had caused someone grievous bodily harm, even if it had been in releasing pent up anger. The courts wouldn't see it that way. He panicked, and ran off to Lake Verity. Lucas knew that it wasn't a good idea to leave Jun on the ground in that state, but he wasn't sure what he would do if he helped him up. He needed some time to think and calm down.

Lucas ran down the meticulously looked after path towards the lake. The air felt colder here than it normally was at this time of year, but then, maybe it was because he felt so hot. The trees swayed back and forth, along with the Starly who were calling out to each other. Lucas was prepared to jump straight into the lake and have a swim, but paused when he saw a strange man facing the lake. He had bright blue spiky hair, and was wearing a something that greatly resembled the spacesuits that the astronauts who went into space wore. It was dark grey all over, with dents that separated it into equal sections. On top of that, he was wearing an apparently sleeveless shirt that was a light grey colour. He was apparently speaking to himself, although Lucas couldn't hear anything that was being said, so he decided to creep closer. When he was close enough, he was puzzled by what the man said.

"...The flowing time... The expanding space... I will make it all mine one day... Cyrus is my name. Remember it... Until then, sleep while you can, legendary Pokémon of the lake bed..." So he was planning to disrupt Mespirit, was he? Well, not if Lucas could help it. He leapt out from behind the bush, and ran forwards.

"Not if I can help it, you won't!" he shouted. The man called Cyrus turned around, curious to see what all the noise was about. He gave a little smile when he saw that it was merely a child. He stood on the spot, unconcerned about what might happen.

"Try and stop me if you can," he challenged. He picked off a Poke Ball from his waist that Lucas had managed to miss before, and released the Pokemon from within. It was a Honchkrow that roughly came up to Lucas' waist. It had white breast feathers that made it appear that it had a cravat, and a head crest that strongly resembled a hat. But the thing that really caught Lucas' eye was the look that the Pokemon gave him. It appeared that it would have no qualms about tearing him apart if its trainer gave the word to. Seeing Lucas hesitate, the man laughed.

"I thought as much. You wouldn't dare go against me if there was a chance that you would be hurt. That is what makes humans weak," the man stated as he recalled the Honchkrow. "Now, out of my way, before I hurt you for real." But Lucas refused to move. "So, you would pointlessly stand in the way of my escape? Fine, have it your way. Honchkrow, use Peck," he ordered as the Pokemon was released again. It headed towards Lucas, and he prepared for the worst. Out of nowhere, however, there was a sound that Lucas thought that he would never be pleased to hear.

"Leab by bend alone!" the teenager shouted, words distorted due to the broken nose he had sustained. Despite laws about how humans shouldn't directly harm another person's Pokemon, Jun ignored those laws as he ran at the Pokemon and managed to knee it in the face. The Honchkrow stumbled backwards, clearly in pain. Cyrus looked shocked at the events that had happened.

"You may have hurt my Pokemon this time, but you won't get away with it!" he shouted as he ran past the two teenagers, shoving them out of the way and recalling Honchkrow. Lucas made to go after him, but Jun held him back.

"Heb's got gorth git," Jun asserted, and Lucas reluctantly agreed. He turned around, and saw that the boy was on the ground, groaning in pain. He puked up onto the ground, and then fell still, unconsciousness overwhelming him.


	2. Chapter 2

Lucas was currently back home, being shouted at by his mum.

"What the hell were you thinking off?" she yelled, causing him to wince. "You're extremely lucky that he hasn't got any long term permanent damage." After Jun had collapsed, Lucas had immediately called the ambulance to their location. It was carrying one doctor and a Chansey, who helped to assess the extent of the damage done. They had strapped Jun to a stretcher and carried him back to the vehicle so that they could go to the hospital.

Once they were both in the ambulance, Jun had woken up just as the doctor was inserting needles into the former's arms to supply vital fluids. Naturally, he panicked, and had to be held down by the Chansey and Lucas. Afterwards, the Chansey had removed the egg from her pouch, cracked it open and gave it to Jun to eat in an attempt to calm him down. It worked, and shortly afterwards, he fell asleep again. Taking the opportunity, Lucas asked the doctor to look at his feet. He said that the wounds would heal naturally over time, but that he shouldn't walk any great distance in the meanwhile.

Upon arriving at the hospital, they had taken him straight to theatre, where they were now currently operating on him. Lucas had walked home, still in his pyjamas, where upon entering, he found his mum with a furious look on her face. She had simply pointed to the settee, and he sat down on it. She made him tell everything, including the encounter with Cyrus. In the middle of that, one of the surgeons who were operating on him had called the house. They had explained that he was going to have difficulty digesting food and breathing, possible for the rest of his life. As well as that, Lucas had broken Jun's nose and one of his ribs.

"Plus, I have to pay for the damage by paying for his medical fees and prescription drugs that he has to take!" she practically screamed. Lucas cringed, not having seen her this angry in a very long time.

"But mum, I couldn't control the anger or emotions of the moment. Seeing how he's treated you as well as me and his own mum, he was just asking for it," he countered as he punched his fist into his hand. His mother's expression softened slightly as she managed to control herself.

"Thank you for your concern, Lucas, but what you did was completely uncalled for. Now, as soon as you are dressed, I want you to go back to the hospital and apologize for what you did to him," she ordered, having calmed down from her outburst just now. Lucas said nothing – he had planned to do that anyway.

Closing his bedroom door behind him, he slid down the door and deeply sighed. He wished that none of this had ever happened, and that he had gotten his starter Pokemon, and began the journey. But, he supposed that it was going to happen in some form or other eventually. Trying to hold back on crying, he took off his pyjamas, tossed them into the washing area, and found some casual clothes to wear. They consisted of some indigo coloured combat trousers with numerous pockets, a tee-shirt that had a black body and white short sleeves, and a beret to help make himself look cooler.

Now fully dressed, he left the house and made his way over to the hospital. Each time he put pressure on his feet, he mentally let out a yelp of pain as the cuts were still tender. Along the way, he thought of numerous ways to apologize, but none seemed to be sincere enough to account for the seriousness of the situation.

Once he arrived, he saw that the building looked as depressed as he felt. It was a drab brown colour, broken up with numerous windows. On top, there was a sign that said 'Twinleaf Hospital'. Feeling possibly even more depressed then he had before, he entered the building and went up to the reception area. He asked if Jun had finished surgery, but the receptionist shook her head, and pointed to the waiting area. He tried to fit down, but was too anxious, so he paced around, hoping to let off some of the excess worry. Unfortunately, it annoyed some of the other people who were also waiting, and eventually, he was forced to sit down before security was called.

Eventually, a doctor came up to him, and asked if he was here to see Jun. Lucas stood up eagerly, and asked the doctor many questions. The doctor asked Lucas to follow him, and as they walked, the doctor talked about the after effects of the surgery.

"It went off without a hitch. His nose will be mended in a few weeks, due to the artificial cartilage inserted needing time to fully attach to the skin. We managed to find and secure the broken rib – luckily, it didn't puncture a lung. His stomach, however, is the real problem. The force of the blow damaged the lining of the stomach, allowing the hydrochloric acid to damage the surrounding area. Although we managed to get it under control, he will not be able to produce his own enzyme or hydrochloric acid. Therefore, we will have to take tablets to rectify that for a long time, possible for the rest of his life." As the doctor had been talking, they had stopped outside of a ward, presumably the one that Jun was in. Lucas had just one question to ask.

"Is he awake?" The doctor was a little surprised, but answered the question anyways.

"He is currently in a stable condition at the moment, but needs to sleep, so don't try and wake him up, okay?" Lucas nodded. With that, the doctor left him alone, ready to face whatever would be thrown at him, literally and figuratively. He opened the door and entered the room.

It was painted white, like the rest of the hospital, but had numerous pictures of Pokemon and scenery on the walls. There was a window that was letting in copious amounts of sunlight, as well as providing a view of the hospital grounds. But the thing that caught Lucas' eye was the bed, where Jun was lying down. He had an IV tube going into his arms, and his chest was rising slowly up and down. By his side was his mother, quietly crying.

Lucas walked over to the bed, and began to sit down in one of the chairs that had been provided. However, Jun's mother noticed, and she stood up herself.

"What do you think you're doing here?" she threatened, keeping her voice low so that her son wouldn't wake up.

"Seeing my best friend, of course."

The woman's face rapidly became red. "Don't you ever say that about my son. Because of you, he'll have to take drugs to help him eat for the rest of his life."

Lucas had nothing to say to that.

"Now, get out, before I'm forced to call security," she continued, pointing to the door with her finger. But Lucas refused to budge.

"I may have caused that damage, but let me tell you – he deserved it."

He could see the woman shaking, barely keeping her anger contained. "I've told you once, and I won't tell you again. Get out!" she said, beginning to raise her voice.

But still Lucas refused to move. "Shall I tell you what he did to me this morning? He dragged me, in my pyjamas with no shoes, all the way to the edge of town. Despite my protests, he refused to listen to me. That was the last fucking straw, so I punched and kicked him. After all the years that I've put up with him, he's lucky that's all I did to him."

The woman in front of him ran over to one of the walls and slammed the button on there. Lucas knew that it would call one of the nurses.

"He's always been like that! That's just who he is!" she screamed. Over her shoulder, Lucas could see Jun beginning to wake up, but his mum was too angry to notice.

"Yeah, and I wonder who taught him to be like that, what with his dad stuck at the Battle Frontier most of the time."

She charged forwards like a stampeding Taurus, and slapped Lucas on the cheeks. Before she could do any more damage, however, one of the nurses entered the room, saw what was being done, and moved quickly to restrain the other woman.

"What's happening here?" the nurse asked, struggling with all her might.

"She just lunged towards me for no apparent reason," Lucas shouted to be heard. He hated what he was doing, but it was for the best if he was to salvage any of his friendship with Jun. The nurse nodded in understanding.

"Okay, sir. I'll do what I can to remove her," the nurse answered. Lucas saw that she clearly needed help restraining, so he exited the room, and found one of the security guards wondering about the hospital. He explained the situation and led the man to the room. With his help, Jun's mother was removed from the place and arrested for hitting a minor.

Now that he was alone and Jun was awake, Lucas decided to see how he was feeling.

"Like shit," the teenager groggily replied.

"No surprise. You've had major surgery," Lucas answered. He proceeded to tell Jun everything that had happened, including what had just occurred. Jun looked shocked at the information he was being told, and was silent for a while after Lucas had finished.

Eventually, he spoke again. "I don't hate you for what you've done for me." Lucas was surprised. He was waiting for Jun to tell him that he hated him, and didn't want to see him again.

"I don't understand," the teenager questioned.

"I've realised that I have been unfair on you. I've always dominated everything that we've done, and left you to take the blame. So I want to apologise." Lucas had tears in his eyes.

"T-thank you, Jun. That means a lot to me."

SC

_Four months later..._

Jun and Lucas were on the edge of town, waiting for Professor Rowan to arrive. The two of them had started from scratch and now had become proper best friends – ones who worked on an equal level. Jun had subdued his personality, becoming calmer and more focused on what he wanted to do. He had packed all of the clothes that he needed for the contests, as well as a couple of travelling ones. Lucas had done the same the same thing, except he had room to pack any medical supplies for himself and his Pokemon, as well as more food as needed.

It had taken a while for Jun's nose to heal properly, and the hospital refused to discharge him before the artificial cartilage had attached itself and the rib had healed properly. In the meantime, the teenager had been getting used to having to take the tablets every few hours. He had also been planning out his contest team. The two of them had also decided what starter they wished to receive – Lucas wanted a Turtwig, whilst Jun had his heart set on Piplup. They only wished that the Pokemon had a decent nature.

The day after her arrest, Jun's mum had been released from prison, but Jun had somehow managed to persuade her not to press any charge against Lucas. However, she had rigorously enforced a new rule in the household which said that the two couldn't be together again. So, naturally, the two of them had snuck out and spent all hours of the day with each other. They had planned out all of the cities that they planned to visit in which order, with Jun's schedule revolving around when contests were happening.

The two young trainers couldn't have picked a more perfect day to start out. The sky was blue, with not a cloud in the sky. However, the tension could be strongly felt in the air, which was otherwise perfectly still and only disturbed by Starly moving from tree to tree. The Professor was half an hour late; and Jun was getting impatient.

"When do you think he's coming?" he asked for what felt like the hundredth time. Lucas merely sighed.

"I don't know, Jun. He's a busy person – maybe he just got caught up in some research or something."

"What; and we haven't got anything to do?"

"I never said that. All I said was..."

"I heard you the first time, Lucas. But I can't just stand around here and do nothing," Jun said as he paced back and forth. Suddenly, he came up with an idea. Lucas aw the expression on his face, and he wondered what idea had come up with now. It was the face that the old Jun couldn't go five minutes without pulling. Whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good.

"I've got an idea," he began, but Lucas cut him off.

"I guess that much," he muttered. Jun simply ignored him.

"What if we run through the grass really, really fast? That way, the wild Pokemon wouldn't have a chance to attack us." Before he received an answer, Jun moved a fair distance back, but before he could run forwards, Lucas stepped in front of him.

"Are you mad? That's one of the most immature and dangerous things that you could possibly do. All to meet someone who'll we'll be meeting soon anyways. I'm sorry, Jun, but I can't let you do it." Jun looked Lucas in the eyes, and then backed down.

"Thank you for stopping me, Lucas. I don't know what I would have done if you weren't my best friend."

Before they could say anything else, Lucas saw someone coming from the lake. He pointed them out to Jun, and they both waited to see who it was. As they got closer, they saw that it was Professor Rowan and one of his assistants. As they got closer, Lucas couldn't believe his eyes.

The assistant was Dawn, the person he had been ogling over on Facebook for the past however many months. If possible, she looked even more beautiful then she had been in the one picture he had of her. Today, she was wearing a thick red coat, with a bright white scarf wrapped around her neck. She had pink boots, along with a white had that had the top half of a Poke Ball imprinted on it, also coloured pink. Her hair was jet black and came down to her shoulders, and her eyes! Her eyes were a deep chocolate brown, and sparkled like diamonds in the sunlight. Lucas thought that it was love at first sight. She briefly looked them both up and down with her eyes.

The Professor wore a displeasurable expression on his face. "Young man," he said as he faced Jun. "I hope you weren't planning on running onto the grass on your own." Jun slowly nodded his head, guessing that the Professor had seen everything. His eyes were now firmly fixed on the ground. "Well, that is a shame. After all, I only give out Starters to people who don't take unnecessary risks."

Jun now focused his eyes onto Professor Rowan's ones. "Please, sir, I really am sorry. I know I shouldn't have done that, but I'm just really eager to get my Pokemon."

Rowan was silent for a moment, evidently contemplating something. After a while, he nodded. "Yes, yes, I can see that you are a reliable person. One of the first lessons you have to learn about becoming a Pokemon Trainer is that you have to learn from your mistakes. You have evidently already done so." The old man now turned to Lucas. "And what about you? Are you responsible enough to care for another creature as well as yourself?"

Inwardly, Lucas groaned at the barrage of questions that the Professor evidently already knew the answers to – otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered to come all the way out here. Outwardly, however, he nodded.

"Of course, Professor. If I didn't think I was, I wouldn't have waited out here for you."

"That's a good answer, young man. I like people who are being honest with me," the Professor said, with the smallest of smiles appearing. Surprisingly, however, Dawn didn't look so happy. She rolled her eyes as the response and crossed her arms.

"Now onto the issue of your Starter Pokemon," he continued as he set his briefcase on the ground. He input the security code and opened it up. Inside were numerous pages of something all neatly secured in place. The top half, however, had three secure Poke Balls. Rowan undid the clips holding then in place, and allowed them to drop into the palm of his hand. "As you most likely know, you get a choice between Chimchar, Piplup and Turtwig. To help you make a decision, here are the Pokemon in question," he continued as he released them in a flash of light.

The first one to materialise was Piplup. As soon as it had done so, it jumped up into the air, spun around and then landed on its feet again, giving a small bow in the process. It had a dark blue head, a white face with light blue patches and a small yellow beak. It had two white spots on its chest, and what appeared to be a cape coming out behind it. Jun looked down at the small Pokemon, and the two of them seemed to share a connection instantaneously.

Secondly was Chimchar. It was primarily orange, except for its face, chest, hands and feet. It had a bright flame coming out of its rear end, as a tuft of fur that looked like one as well. Unlike Piplup, it merely sat down on the ground once it appeared and looked around, apparently bored, not doing anything to call attention or it, or encouraging anyone to pick it.

Finally, Turtwig appeared last. It had a large light brown shell that had a stripe of dark brown running across it. The Pokemon itself was coloured light green, apart from the stumpy feet and lower jaw, which were bright yellow. Growing out the top of its head was a sapling, which had two small leaves. Once it materialised, it quickly looked around, unsure of where it was. Spotting the tall humans standing around it, it started shaking in fear, and tried retreating into its shell. Realising that it wouldn't work due to its big head, it did the next best thing and shut its eyes as well as cover them with its front two legs. Dawn laughed a little, but no-one else noticed.

"Now that you have seen the Pokemon," Rowan stated, "take your time in choosing one. Pick the one that you think you would be most comfortable travelling with." At that, Piplup and Jun rushed to each other. He knelt down to pick the Pokemon, which leapt into them willingly. Jun stood up again, hugging the Pokemon in the process.

Lucas' choice was a little harder to make. He had really wanted a Turtwig, but looking at the one cowering in front of him, he wasn't so sure anymore. On the other hand, the Chimchar didn't look much better, what with it not seeming to care about what happened to it. Lucas sighed, knowing that he was going to regret the decision.

"Hey there, little buddy. What're you scared about?" he asked the Turtwig as he knelt down, but Professor Rowan interjected.

"Actually, there's something I need to tell you." The teenager stood up again. "You see, that Turtwig is only a couple of weeks old at most, and as such, has not had much experience with humans. That's why it appears to be so scared of us." Lucas opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, unsure of what to say. Jun was no help, merely laughing at the expression his face was pulling.

"So, you're telling me that I'm going to be essentially starting with a baby Pokemon separated from its mother?" The Professor merely nodded. Lucas thought for a second, and then sighed as he slammed his hand to his face and pulled it downwards. "Okay, I chose Turtwig. It should be an interesting challenge, if nothing else."

Rowan merely gave a small smile. "Okay, good man. Now, here are Piplup and Turtwig's Poke Balls," he said as he handed the two male teenagers the respective capsules. "I'll need you to come to my lab, so that we can sort out the finer details, and also so that I can hand you your Pokedexes. Now, if you excuse us, we have to be heading back. Come along, Dawn," he said to her. She smiled in response, but rolled her eyes as soon as his back was turned. Nevertheless, she followed the Professor, albeit, a little distance behind, leaving the two boys alone.

Jun was the first to speak. "Wow, I don't know what to say," he said as he looked down at the still shaking Turtwig. "I have to say though – I'm glad I didn't have to make that choice. You'd better return it to its Poke Ball before it decided to run away," he joked.

But Lucas ignored him. He bent down and reached out to pick the Pokemon up. However, Turtwig had other ideas, and bit him. Although the bite was weak, it still left a noticeable indent in the top of Lucas' hand. He ignored that as well as he lifted the Pokemon up from the ground and up to eye-level. Seeing what was happening to it, the Tiny Leaf Pokemon struggled and squirmed in a vain attempt to get free. It also started crying as loudly as it possibly could, yelling its name. Jun cringed in embarrassment.

"This could take a while," he muttered under his breath. Piplup nodded in agreement. He spoke louder, attempting to make himself heard over the noise. "Lucas, me and Piplup are going to the lab. We'll meet you there," he concluded before dashing off along Route 201 before Lucas could register what he said. By the time he did, Jun was long gone, leaving Pokemon and owner alone.

"Thanks for abandoning me," Lucas said to no-one in particular. He focused he attention back on the Turtwig. "What to do with you?" he rhetorically asked. Suddenly, he had an idea. He put the Pokemon down on the ground, which instantly made it stop crying. Digging into his backpack, his found some Pokemon food that he and his mum had prepared earlier in the week. He grabbed a small handful, and then knelt down to Turtwig's level.

"Here you are, little guy," Lucas said as he placed his palm in front of Turtwig. The Pokemon was about to bite it again when he sniffed the food. It smelt absolutely heavenly. He took a little of the food and chewed it about. It squealed in delight, and ate the rest of the food that was available. He looked up at Lucas with a happy look on his face. Lucas smiled back. "There you go. I'm not all bad, am I?" Turtwig looked up at him, confusion on its face – he hadn't understood a word the human had said. Lucas laughed at the expression, and then became serious.

"Turtwig, I need you to listen," Lucas began before Turtwig got distracted by some Bidoof, who had come to investigate what all the noise earlier was about. He made off to chase them about, thinking that they wanted to play with him, but Lucas held him in place. "Now listen, you need to decide on something." He wasn't sure the Pokemon could understand him, but he had to try anyway. "Do you want to go back in your Poke Ball," he said as he held the object in question in one hand, "or do you want to stay out of it?" he concluded, indicating his free hand.

As before, Turtwig wasn't sure what the human had said, but he did know one thing. He didn't want to go back into that horrible coloured thing – it had felt cold and empty. So he made his mind up, and chose the free hand. Lucas appeared to be satisfied with the decision.

"Good boy, who's a good boy," he praised the Pokemon as he minimised and put the Poke Ball away. Turtwig had been heavier than he had expected, so Lucas lifted and supported him with both arms. Choice made, they walked towards the patch of grass, and made their way to Sandgem Town.

SC

Dawn felt bored. Very, very bored.

She had returned to the lab as requested, but Professor Rowan hadn't requested her to do anything as he went back into his office, leaving her with nothing to do. She was forced to stay, as she was being paid by the lab for her part-time work. There were numerous magazines scattered about the staff room, but none of them interested her.

There was a commotion down the hall, in the reception area. Having nothing better to do, she went out to investigate.

The reception area was bland. Painted a dark cream colour, it had numerous Pokemon posters stuck to the wall about Pokemon health and the such like, including one that had a picture of an Eevee being handed a Poffin, with the slogan 'Treat all Types with a healthy and nutritious Poffin!' written underneath. There were some chairs scattered about, with even more magazines available to read whilst people waited. The reception desk itself contained a computer, so appointments could be booked, along with a phone. There was also a bell, which could be used if the receptionist was away. Said receptionist was currently being harassed by a teenager wearing a long-sleeved orange and white stripy jumper, along with skinny, tight fitting grey trousers. She recognised him as one of the people from earlier. She walked up to him.

"You look like you need a bit of help," he said, interrupting the pairs' argument. And she wasn't just referencing his fashion sense.

"Yeah, I do actually," Jun answered. "This lady is refusing to let me see Professor Rowan."

"Sir, as I have explained to you before, you need to book an appointment to see him. He is a very busy man," the flustered receptionist interjected.

"I realise that, but the Professor gave me and my friend permission to see him. We need to get our Pokedexes."

"Sally, he's right. I was there with the Professor when he gave them permission," Dawn interjected before the argument could continue any further.

Sally sighed deeply. She picked up the phone and dialled a number. She spoke to the person on the other end and then put the phone down.

"The Professor says that you can go through and see him. This time," she added as the two teenagers walked off. Once they were out of earshot, Jun let out a sigh.

"Arceus, I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of her any time soon."

"She was only doing her job. And pretty damn effectively as well. You're lucky I like the looks of your friend, otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered to help you out back there," Dawn said.

"Really now," Jun said; scepticism in his tone.

"Yeah, really," she replied as they reached the door to Rowan's office. "Well this is it. Good luck; and I hope to see you soon," Dawn said, before leaving Jun there before he could say anything else. She walked back to the reception area to wait for Jun's friend to arrive.

SC

Lucas finally arrived in Sandgem Town. Although it hadn't taken quite as long as he had expected it to, it had still taken long enough; what with having to look after Twiggy (having decided to name the Pokemon after the twig that grew out of its head) whilst also avoiding all of the random encounters. Lucas briefly wondered how he was going to capture his first Pokemon, seeing as Twiggy had never fought a battle in his life, but put it out of his mind as he focused on more pressing matters.

In the small town, the lab was very easy to spot, as it was not only the biggest building in sight, but it also had a large open field out back, where numerous Pokemon were enjoying the sunshine, including some species that Lucas didn't recognise. He went up to the double doors and pushed them inwards.

As he had expected, the reception area was bland and uninteresting to the eye, although he was surprised at the lack of security. However, what was unexpected was Dawn sitting in one of the chairs. She had obviously been waiting for him, because once he entered, she got up and went over to him.

"Hey there," she began, before noticing Twiggy in his arms. "What the hell have you done?" she asked worriedly. "Don't tell me that you've already managed to faint the poor thing already?" she accused, beginning to raise her voice in concern.

"Please don't speak too loud," Lucas pleaded to her, but it was too late – Twiggy woke up from all of the loud noise, saw Dawn, and started to cry, sobbing out syllables of its name. Lucas glared at Dawn.

"Now look what you've done! And I only just managed to get him asleep as well," he added as he rocked the Pokemon gently backwards and forwards in his cradled arms, trying to get him to go back to sleep. However, Twiggy was having none of that as he continued to cry like no-one's business. Dawn felt sorry for what she had done, so she grabbed Lucas' arm, and pulled him to where the Professor's office was. Without knocking, she burst into the room.

In one corner was a desk with a laptop and numerous papers all neatly organised into different piles. In another was a filing cabinet, with all of the draws neatly labelled in small, cramped handwriting. In the centre, however, was a small table with a bright red object that Lucas recognised as a Pokedex. Professor Rowan was handing one to Jun when Lucas and Dawn had burst into the room with a crying Turtwig. The Professor put the machine down and went over to the pair.

"What is going on here?" he demanded, not raising his voice, but not needing to to get the desired effect.

"Well, you see, Twiggy was happily sleeping when this girl," Lucas began, giving another glare to Dawn, making her slightly sheepish and embarrassed "woke him up. Now I can't get him to sleep," he finished. Rowan was silent for a moment, evidently trying to think of a viable solution to the problem. Suddenly, he moved over to a door leading outside to where other trainers Pokemon were waiting. The three teenagers tried to get a peek, but he shut the door behind him. Left alone, there was an awkward silence between the three of them, with only Twiggy making any noise from sniffling his nose, his voice evidently having been worn out. That didn't stop him from hiccupping, however, making him look adorable with his big eyes and head. Lucas attempted to clean up the snot that was being produced, but failed miserably. Dawn tried to get closer, but Lucas backed away.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked.

"I'm only trying to help you out. I want to make up for what happened just now," Dawn replied.

"No way. Twiggy's probably scared stiff of you now for what you did to him," Lucas retorted. Before things could get any worse, however, Jun stepped into the middle of both of them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, let's calm down here a little. Let's not have a scene here, especially in the lab of all places." Jun asserted. He turned to face Lucas. "Dawn is clearly sorry about having woken Twiggy up and upsetting him. As she couldn't have known before, I'm sure she won't do it again." Jun now turned to face Dawn. "Lucas is sincerely sorry about having gotten angry at you, but as his starter is just a baby, I'm sure you can understand why he got upset. Now both of you should apologise," Jun finished for the both of them as he moved out of their way.

Lucas and Dawn looked at anything but each other, embarrassed by the strong maturity Jun processed. A moment passed, and Dawn gained the courage to speak up first.

"I-I'm sorry Lucas," she said. He could only slowly nod and blush a little, his social shyness picking now of all times to kick in. Before he could say anything, however, Professor Rowan walked back into the room, breaking the awkwardness that had managed to increase. In his hand, he held a couple of berries. They were bright pink in colour and perfectly round, with no other markings on them. The Professor handed the berries to Lucas, either ignoring or not caring about the situation the teenagers had found themselves in.

"Give these berries to your Turtwig. They should make him happier then he looks at the moment," he commented, seeing the expression on Twiggy's face. Lucas took them, and then gave one to the Pokemon in question. Despite the apparent firmness of the berries, Twiggy managed to chew it without much difficulty, although it seemed to take a while. Once he managed to swallow the food, his frown turned into a smile, and he gave out a very happy call of his name. Lucas pocketed the other berry, wanting to save it for later, in case Twiggy ever got upset again. By now, the Professor was behind the table again.

"Before we were interrupted, I was going to hand Jun here a Pokedex of his own. However, with you now here," he continued, looking at Lucas directly in the eye "I will be able to give you one each without having to repeat myself. Now, as you may or may not know, a Pokedex is used to record data on the species of Pokemon that you will be able to find in the wild. Once you capture a Pokemon, it will record the species name, height, weight, gender, and move set. It will also provide a short description for the Pokemon in general. The point of giving you these is so that I will be able to get as much variable data as possible and compare results." That caught Jun and Lucas' attention.

"Wait a second. You mean that you essentially want us to do your work for you?" Lucas asked, carful to not raise his voice. Professor Rowan nodded.

"If you wish to put it in such crude terms, then yes, that is what I am asking of you. However, merely think of it as a side project. I already have numerous aides and other trainers who are able to focus on that job alone. Therefore, you can put it on the backbench, and focus on your own personal dreams and aspirations – if you so chose to, of course. Here you are," he finished, picking up the Pokedexes and handing one each to Lucas and Jun. It felt heavier then they had expected, but nonetheless, pocketed the machines in their bags. "To help you on your way, here are five standard Poke Balls," he added, as he dug around in one of his suite pockets, and finally found them.

Now properly equipped, the Professor gave them one bit of encouragement. "Never give up the dreams or hopes that you may have, no matter how crushing the defeat feels. Good luck to the both of you, and I hope you update me regularly with updates of your progress. Now, off you go," he concluded. Jun and Lucas made for the door, but Rowan said "Lucas, I wish to speak with you for a moment." The teenager stopped, turned right around, and went back to where he had stood before. Jun shut the door behind himself.

"Lucas, I have a special request for you. I wish for Dawn to travel with you." It was a simple request, but one that still managed to stun the two teenagers. Dawn was the first to recover.

"But...Professor Rowan. Why?" was all she could manage. The Professor put his hands behind his back.

"Because, Dawn, I can tell that you are getting bored with staying here in this pokey town." She opened her mouth to say something, but he held up his right hand, and she closed it again. "It is very obvious that you do want to leave. I have spoken to your father about this, and he has agreed with me. We will not go back on our decision anytime soon," he added before she could try and protest again. He now faced Lucas. "Not only will you have another person to talk to, but will also have someone to cover your back for you whilst you begin training your first Pokemon."

Lucas only now managed to recover the use of his mouth. "Th-than you Professor Rowan. I'm not sure what to say."

"Then don't say anything at all," was all the man said before he indicated them to leave.

They left the lab, amazed at what had just happened. Lucas had now gained a training partner who he also happened to have a crush on, whilst Dawn was finally able to begin her project that she had wanted to do for so long.


End file.
